Jessi Ngatikaura Had Her Thyroid Partially Removed After a Warning from 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Viewers
In season 2 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Jessi Ngatikaura opened up about how viewers reached out to her about her thyroid
She said that viewers noted it looked 'enlarged,' and she should get it checked
Jessi ultimately decided to have a partial removal, but had to wait until after surgery to find out if it was cancerousJessi Ngatikaura is saying thanks to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives viewers.
In season 2, episode nine of The Secret Wives of Mormon Wives, which was released on May 15, Ngatikaura, 32, told castmate Mayci Neeley that she had to have surgery to remove half of her thyroid gland.
'And then the sucky thing is, they said they can't tell me if it's cancer or not 'til after the surgery,' she said. 'Like they won't know 'til they take it out. But if I don't get it removed and it is cancer, it could spread to my lymph nodes.'
Ngatikaura explained that when the show's first season came out in 2024, she 'had a few nurses actually reach out to me on social media. They all told me that I looked like I had an enlarged thyroid and I should get it checked.'
Thankfully, she listened and went to see a thyroid specialist, who found multiple nodules. 'Basically, we came to the conclusion that I should get a partial thyroid removal,' she explained.
'I'm trying to stay positive,' she told Neeley, 30. 'Cause I do think that if you're sick and if you dwell on it and have a bad attitude, it can make you worse. Like, that's just my belief.' In a confessional, she admitted that the situation has put 'things into perspective' and reminded her to 'focus on the bigger picture.'
Elsewhere in episode 10, Ngatikaura said that her "health journey" has "really grounded me during all of this MomTok drama because it's made me realize how blessed I really am." In a clip, she and her husband Jordan Ngatikaura both marveled over how small her surgery incision was.
'The biopsy was benign, which is such great news,' Jessi shared. 'Life is so short and it's so precious, and what's not important is us all yelling at each other as a group of friends.'
Jessi has been open about her surgeries in the past, revealing in season 1 that she had a labiaplasty and breast implant reduction. "I've gotten my boobs done three times and now I'm getting my cookie redone,' she explained in a confessional at the time. In March, she also opened up on social media about her nose job.
She explained that being on Secret Wives made her more insecure about her appearance. 'People have been awful about my looks & it definitely affected my confidence. But I also had insecurities before that I wanted to tweak so I took care of them!" she wrote on Instagram.
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Speaking with PEOPLE in an article published May 13, Jessi said she thinks the Mormon Church's emphasis on 'perfection' has impacted how she and other women in her community view themselves.
'I do think a lot of Mormons really buy into plastic surgery and hair and Botox and nails and lashes. I would say it's ramped up a little bit in the Mormon religion here,' she said, noting that for Mormons, they want to be both 'morally perfect' and 'physically perfect.'
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